Cat covered In Critters. Advice needed

melon_collie

The cat came in this evening and got up on my wife's lap when she was watching TV. He does it every evening. Anyway he got off her lap after a few mins and jumped off sofa onto our coffee table (high gloss top). He sat there for a minute before heading out again.

Anyway my wife notices that the top of the coffee table was alive with very tiny critters of some kind. I mean these things are tiny. About the size of a pin point, not the head, the point. Anyway she then checked her tshirt where he was sitting and it was also a live with them.

Any idea what they could be? I personally think that they are too small to be ticks or fleas. Could they be lice? They are white in colour.

The cat hasn't been scratching itself excessively or anything and I brush him every day because he's currently molting. He has no bites or scabs around the neck area either.

What would be the best way to treat this?? I am contemplating washing him with flea shampoo tomorrow.

Perhaps he just walked through bushes or something that were covered in these things???

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

boomerang

Sounds like walking dandruff - Cheyletiella mites? Fipronil-containing spot on flea treatments are the usual treatment. Apply monthly at least twice. If it is walking dandruff, this is contagious to humans and to other pets so pets in the home should be treated. I wouldn't use a flea shampoo, they're pretty useless. Get a fipronil spot-on from your vet - e.g. Frontline, Parex, Effipro, Eliminall. These will also treat cat lice, in case it's that.

melon_collie

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. I'm not sure if it could be Cheyletiella mites to be honest. I gave the cat a good examination this morning by parting his fur in several areas on his back whilst he was eating. I could see no flaky skin anywhere. I also put him back on the coffee table this morning and ruffled his fur back and forth to see if anymore critters would fall out onto the coffee table. Lots and lots of hair fell out but I only saw 1 critter in total.

As I said before, the cat hasn't been scratching himself excessively because I'd always be on the lookout for that.

Last night there were critters everywhere. Initially I thought that he had picked them up when outside by walking through or rolling around in an infested area somewhere. The fact that I could hardly see any this morning kinda confirms that in my own head but what do I know??

If it was Cheyletiella mites would they appear more if the animal or weather was warm? It was colder this morning than it was yesterday evening.

Is there any way that I can confirm if it might be Cheyletiella mites? Would it be prudent for me to treat it as a case of Cheyletiella mites anyway? How would i treat his bedding and the sofa?

Thanks again.

Ms Doubtfire1

theres a spot on treatment that will pretty much kill anything creepy crawly. Just use that you should be grand